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Astrology gets blamed for Louisiana floods

Few things are as uniquely unsustainable as southern Louisiana. Astrology last month briefly joined the list of forces blamed for the Gulf of Mexico swallowing the equivalent of a football field of Louisiana land every hour — about 1,900 square miles since the 1930s.

The Louisiana Applied Coastal & Environmental Sciences Division (LACES) issued a study at the end of January recommending that policymakers plan for an estimated one-meter rise in sea level this century. The report’s summary for coastal managers curiously stated that “Sea-level rise is caused by a variety of dynamic interactions, and is influenced by atmospheric, geologic, oceanic, and astrological changes, whether natural or anthropogenic.”

It’s the kind of disclaimer often added by politicians and bureaucrats to gird against conservative backlash when discussing matters related to climate change.

Flooding is destructive to farms and cities but necessary for healthy river deltas. The state projects another 1,800 square miles of land to disappear in the next 50 years.

Tip: Blue_wode on Twitter

Scientists may be nervous of backlash from conservatives regarding issues about climate change, especially in a state like Louisiana where the Governor Jindal has proven to be quite anti-science.

Preventing more disasters and to change the current dire situation in low-lying Louisiana will require government intervention – a highly unpopular course for conservatives.

Did they mispell “astronomical”? Hard to say if they did it on purpose or out of ignorance. Regardless, that is DOWNRIGHT embarrassing. A head should roll for such a horrid mistake.